Západočeská univerzita v Plzni

Fakulta filozofická

Bakalářská práce

2015 Patricie Mlezivová

Západočeská univerzita v Plzni

Fakulta filozofická

Katedra anglického jazyka a literatury

Studijní program Filologie

Studijní obor Cizí jazyky pro komerční praxi

Kombinace angličtina – němčina

Bakalářská práce

Chicago Czech Community- Its History and Recent

State

Patricie Mlezivová

Vedoucí práce:

Ing. Radana Šašková

Katedra anglického jazyka a literatury

Fakulta filozofická Západočeské univerzity v Plzni

Plzeň 2015

Prohlašuji, že jsem práci zpracovala samostatně a použila jen uvedených pramenů a literatury.

Plzeň, duben 2015 ………………………

Poděkování Na tomto místě bych ráda poděkovala vedoucí mé bakalářské práce, Ing. Radaně Šaškové, za metodické vedení práce, cenné odborné rady a připomínky.

CONTENT OF THE THESIS

1. INTRODUCTION..............................................................................1

2. CHICAGO (ILLINOIS)......................................................................3

2.1. Information and facts...........................................................3

2.2. History...................................................................................3

2.3. Population.............................................................................4

3. HISTORY OF THE CZECH COMMUNITY IN CHICAGO................6

3.1. First Czechs in Chicago.......................................................6

3.2. Neighbourhood Praha..........................................................7

3.3. Neighbourhood Pilsen.........................................................9

3.4. Neighbourhood Czech California......................................11

4. ANTONÍN ČERMÁK......................................................................14

4.1. Early life...............................................................................14

4.2. Political life..........................................................................15

4.3. The first ethnic Mayor of Chicago....................................19

4.4. Assassination.....................................................................22

5. T. G. MASARYK AND CHICAGO.................................................23

6. CICERO AND BERWYN................................................................24

7. CZECH COMMUNITY IN CHICAGO TODAY................................26

7.1. Czech restaurants and clubs.............................................27

7.2. Czech radio and television................................................29

7.3. Celebrations and events....................................................31

7.4. Institutions .........................................................................32

8. CONCLUSION...............................................................................35

9. ENDNOTES...................................................................................37

10. ABSTRACT....................................................................................42

11. RESUMÉ........................................................................................43

12. REFERENCES...............................................................................44

13. APPENDICES................................................................................49

13.1. Interviews............................................................................50

13.2. Photos.................................................................................54

13.3. Prague 25th Anniversary City Council Resolution...........61

1

1. INTRODUCTION

It is undisputable that the Czech community is a part of Chicago’s

history. Chicago was an attractive place where immigrants could find the

assertion and live better lives. For those who immigrated because of a

political reason during the 19th century, Chicago meant the freedom.

Since 1850s, the influx of immigrants had risen and the Czech community

soon became very significant. This is confirmed by the fact that until

1970s, the Chicago Czech community was considered after Prague as

the most numerous and active. It is interesting that although the

Bohemians left their homeland, they wanted to preserve the national

identity. Through the history, the Chicago Czech community had been

evolving in connection to the matters and happenings in Europe. It

influenced the later development of the former Czechoslovakia, as well as

later the Czech Republic indeed. In order to introduce the community to

the reader, the author’s main idea is to provide the depiction of the most

important information related to the Chicago Czech community and to

spread the awareness of the community in the general public.

The thesis is divided into three main parts. To introduce Chicago to

the reader, in the first part, the author mentions the important facts about

the location, history and population of Chicago. The second part is

distinctive longer and it bears with the history of the Czech community in

Chicago. All the important events and facts are organized chronologically.

However, the parts related to Antonín Čermák and Tomáš Garigue

Masaryk, two very important personalities connected with Chicago, are

set apart for the better lucidity. The author personally thinks that Čermák

is the most important Czech in the history of Chicago and therefore the

author gives to him a significant attention. The author provides detailed-

description of Čermák’s early life, his political career up to his tragic

death. While describing the history, there were mostly used the printed

2

sources, whereas for the depiction of the recent situation, the author

worked especially with internet sources and also refers to the interviews

she carried out. To be able to provide the reader with as much genuine

depiction of the recent state of the Chicago Czech community as

possible, the author travelled to Chicago for 10 days in September 2015.

With the very kind help of the author’s relative, Lucie Březinová, who has

lived in Chicago for more than 10 years, the author explored the life of the

recent Czech Americans in Chicago, carried out 3 interviews and took

pictures which are provided in the appendices.

Through the text, the author will refer to the Czech immigrants

(relating to the immigrants either from the former Czechoslovakia or from

the Czech Republic) as Czech Americans. The reason is that, some of

the Czech émigrés became American citizens and the expression

immigrants could evoke by the reader negative attitude. To attribute the

Czech Americans as an ethnic group, there will be often used terms such

as Bohemians or Czechs. „Bohemian, strictly speaking, denotes those

who live in or come from the area known as Čechy in Czech and

Bohemia in English. The Czech lands-as a nation-state and historically as

a territory of the Habsburg Empire- are comprised of the regions of

Bohemia and Moravia (Morava), but the peoples of those regions have

been known collectively as Bohemians in their diaspora.“ [1]

The evaluation and the closure can be found in the conclusion. The

brief summary is provided in the abstract, the Czech version in the

resumé.

3

2. CHICAGO (ILLINOIS)

2.1. Information and facts

Chicago, also called The Windy City or Chi-Town, is the largest city

in the state Illinois and the third-biggest city in the United States of

America. Its nickname, The Windy City, refers to the climate that is

affected by the location of the city. Chicago is situated in the north-

eastern Illinois at the influence of the Lake Michigan and the Chicago

River. [2] The city Chicago is spread on the area of 227, 63 square miles

(366,335 square km). In the 1st of July 2013, the amount of residents

living in the city was estimated to 2,718,782, which makes Chicago the

third most populous city of the United States (with 11,841.8 person per

square meter), after New York (8,405,837) and Los Angeles (3,884,307).

[3]

2.2. History

The name Chicago originates from French pronunciation of the

Indian word for the wild leeks or the wild garlic that flourished by the

Chicago River. As a first colonist to settle within the area of actual

Chicago is considered to be Jean Baptiste Point du Sable who arrived in

1780. In the year 1795, the general Wayne’s regiment defeated Indians

and forced them to give up their large plentiful lands. In 1803, there was

Fort Dearborn built for the army purposes. However, it was destroyed

during the brutal Indian attack in 1812. In 1816, it was rebuilt again. In

1825, the Erie Canal was opened and it enabled the influx of colonists to

Chicago. The city Chicago was founded in 1830 and officially

incorporated in 1837. Back then, the population counted approximately

4,000 inhabitants. [4]

4

2.3. Population in Chicago

In this part, the author uses the term ‚city of Chicago‘ (also named

Chicago) and the metropolitan area of Chicago. The metropolitan area of

Chicago is commonly called with its unofficial name Chicagoland.

According to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), the

metropolitan area of Chicago is determined as the Chicago-Joliet-

Naperville, IL-IN-WI Metropolitan Statistical Area, also called the Chicago

Consolidated Metropolitan Statistical Area (CMSA). This area embraces

the inner region as well as part of southeast Wisconsin and northwest

Indiana. As reported by the U.S. Census Bureau in the 1st of July 2013,

the CMSA counted 9,537,289 inhabitants. [5]

As stated, Chicago is the third largest and third most populous city

in the United States of America. It is known as one of the most

cosmopolitan city in the US, because it is home to great number of

immigrants from all over the world. People living in Chicago are

commonly named ‚Chicagoans‘. The most recent research (2010) shows

that 45% of the population in Chicago is White (31.7% non-Hispanic

White), 32.9% Black, 5.5 % Asian, 2.7% from two or more races and

0.5% American Indian. [6] According to the survey, released by the Illinois

Coalition for immigrant and refugee rights (ICIRR), nearly every seventh

resident of Illinois was born outside the US (1.74 million out of 12.9

million) It is estimated that 91.4 % of Illinois immigrants (1.59 million) live

in the Chicago metropolitan area. The official source claims that in total

there are 588,000 immigrants in the city of Chicago. However, it is only

one-third of the whole number of immigrants in Illinois, in contrast to 49%

in 1990. The reason of the decrease is the fact that more immigrants

settle down directly in the suburbs and the rural area around the city of

Chicago. [7]

5

A quotient of immigrants differs distinctively according to their

origin. The most of them come from Latin America (56.2 %) and Asia

(20.4%). From the European countries (in total 18.9%), the majority of

immigrants comes from Poland (8.0%). There are 3.4% of African

immigrants and 1.1% of immigrants from other countries living in the city

of Chicago. [8]

The general statistics based on the origin of immigrants do not

mention people with Czech nationality or Czech origin living in the

metropolitan area of Chicago or in the city of Chicago. The reason could

be that in contrast to immigrants of other origins, the amount of Czech

immigrants is not that peculiar. Therefore it is actually difficult to find

updated information about the recent statistics. As reported by the US

2000 Census, there is the second-biggest Czech community in Illinois

counting 127,708 Czech Americans. The largest Czech community is in

Texas (155,855), the third-biggest in Wisconsin (97,200) and the fourth-

biggest in Minnesota (85,086). It is estimated that in the metropolitan area

of Chicago live 113, 705 Czech Americans. [9] However the figures are

not the most fundamental for the purpose of this thesis. The figures might

appear high, however, in the part, where the author describes the

nowadays situation of the Chicago Czech community, it will be

mentioned, that the community declines. This opinion is based on the fact

that the recent Czech Americans are spread, they do not live at one

particular place and their enthusiasm for the Czech heritage is not that

perceptible, comparing to the Czech community between years 1850s

until 1960s. The author meant to focus peculiarly on people who

consciously support the national heritage and to deal with the Czech

community as an ethnic unit.

From now on, the thesis will focus on the Chicago Czech

community, from the first evidence up to the recent situation.

6

3. HISTORY OF THE CZECH COMMUNITY IN CHICAGO

3.1. First Czechs in Chicago

It is historically disputable who was the very first Bohemian that

immigrated to Chicago. First theory says that it was a Moravian physician,

František Valenta, who arrived in Chicago in 1849. Other theory inclines

to some working-class Bohemian, whose name is unknown. There are

records supporting the assumption that the first ethnic Czech immigrant

was Vojtěch Šklíba who arrived in Chicago in 1846. He was presumably

working as a saddler in his own prosperous business on Michigan

Avenue. [10]

The first wave of Czech émigrés moving to Chicago dates back to

1848, many of them settled down in the Midwest. Their reasons for

immigration were mainly political. The betrayal and dissatisfaction during

the Habsburk Empire led to that, the small group of Bohemians decided

to move to the USA and start their lives from the dawn. [11] They came

without families, generally, and in their adopted new homeland, they were

strongly supporting civil values such as personal rights, freedom of

speech as well as the national autonomy of their home of origin. It is

confirmed by the fact that the one of the foundation stones of the Nation

Theatre in Prague was sent to Prague from Chicago in 1869. The stone

carries the motto ‚What blood unites, the sea will not sever‘(‚Co krev pojí,

moře nerozdvojí‘) which proves that the Czech Chicagoans stayed, even

in despite of the distance that was dividing them, narrowly connected with

their native country.

Vojtěch Náprstek, historically famous for his patriotism, was

probably the most important of the immigrants who came with the first

wave of immigration. He arrived to Chicagoland in 1848. He vanished his

homeland, because he would be persecuted for participation in the

demonstration against the Habsburg Empire in Prague in 1848. After the

7

monarchy proclaimed the amnesty for political exiles in 1857, he returned

back to Prague and opened there the American culture museum. The

museum is opened to this day and it contains large collection of artefacts,

historical documents connected with the history of the United States and

documents showing the Czech prints in its history. [12]

The first Czech pub was established by Jan Slavic in 1855 on Clark

Street. It was located in the neighbourhood where most of the first

Bohemians in Chicago settled down. In 1864, František Stejskal Jr., who

in the mid-1850s when he was 13-year old immigrated to Chicago with his

father, opened a first Czech bar in Chicago. Later on in 1892, along with

Jan L. Novák, he found a bank in the new Czech community called

Pilsen.

In 1863, there was assembled the very first catholic Czech church

in Chicago, St. Wenceslaus (Svatý Václav). It was located at De Koven

and Des Plaines streets. The last mass in this church was said on the 10th

of July 1955. After that it was fused with Holy Guardian Angel community.

Later in 1955, the church was wiped out due to the decreasing Czech

population and the expressway that was supposed to lead through that

area.

In 1861, there was a first local Czech organization in Chicago found

by František Novák and located on Taylor Street. František Novák named

it Slovanská Lípa (Slavonic linden tree), because the linden tree

expresses one of the Czech national patterns. This organization was

established for the purposes of meetings and social happenings of the

Chicago Czech community. [13]

3.2. Neighbourhood PRAHA

The construction of the rail that led from New York to Chicago

enabled the influx of the greater number of Bohemians directed to

Chicagoland. These immigrants were mostly drawn to Chicago because

8

of its stockyards, docks and flourishing textile industry. Many Bohemians

settled down in the area called the Sand(s), in Czech ‘Písek’ where there

was a municipal cemetery. Later they moved to the downtown Chicago,

because the cemetery was converted into a park (today’s Lincoln Park).

They established a Down district called Praha. Since then, Praha had

been the largest Czech neighbourhood in Chicagoland. [14] In 1870, the

Chicago Czech community counted already around 10 000 Czech

Americans. [15]

The Bohemians in Chicago were abounded with national

consciousness and enthusiasm, therefore the freethinkers wanted to

express their voice. As a result, in 1875, the freethinkers established the

first labour daily-newspaper, The Unity, in Czech called ‘Svornost’. At that

time, the newspaper was widely popular within the Czech community and

its first offices were based in Praha. [16]

In 1875, there was found The National union of Sokols , in Czech

‘Národní jednota Sokolská’, which was the first Czech sport organization

in Chicago. „Its major purpose was to develop physical fitness through

gymnastics, and its organization was paramilitary, but it also fostered

cultural development and served as a social and national unifying force,

as well as a free-thought school .“ [17] Regular daily routines kept the

Czech children active and disciplined. The leader of Sokol, Karel Štulík,

went to Chicago from Bohemia to support and train the Sokol members.

Besides that, he worked as an editor of the Svornost and a physician of

the Chicago Czech community.

The other movement formed by Bohemians at that time was a

choir, called The Freedom, in Czech ‘Volnost’. The name should invoke

the liberty that they found in their new homeland. [18]

After the Great Chicago fire in 1871, which started not far away

from Praha, killed around 300 people and ruined a great part of the

9

central and northern city, approximately 100,000 people found

themselves homeless. [19] This tragic incident had caused that the

majority of Bohemians moved out. Praha had been since then inhabited

by groups of new immigrants, such as European Jews, or later by Italians

and Greeks. [20] The reason why Bohemians had to move was the fact,

that according to the new fire code, they would have to rebuild their

houses in brick and stone. Most of them could not afford that and

therefore they decided to sell their homes and relocate to the southwest

of the city to the new neighbourhood called Pilsen where they could build

wood-frame houses. [21]

3.3. Neighbourhood Pilsen

The neighbourhood was named after the tavern ‘Hostinec u města

Plzně’ (which in English means ‘tavern by the town Pilsen’) that was

located at 103 Fisk Street (contemporary Carpenter Street and

Nineteenth Place). It was found by Matěj Škuděra in the mid 1870s.

Pilsen was not privileged by the Czech Americans. There were other

ethnic groups, such as Slovaks, Germans, East European Jews,

Slovenes and Lithuanians. It was known as the first Czech community in

Chicago and from the 1860s to 1900 Pilsen was also the greatest

community in the United States. The number of Czechs at that period was

estimated from 75,000 up to 100,000 (first- or second-generation of

Czech Americans). The records indicate that Pilsen was the third-largest

Czech city in the world, outnumbered only by Prague and Vienna. [22]

Considering these facts, Chicago was sometimes called as

‚Czechago‘, because there were more Czech residents than in any other

city in the United States at that time.

On the corner of the Eighteen Street and Allport Evenue, there was

the first Czech hall called Thalia Hall, built in the Romanesque style in

1873. The building was a very remarkable place for the Czech community

10

in Pilsen. In the Thalia Hall, there were based meeting rooms and offices

of various Czech organisations. [23] The Thalia Hall also served the

purpose of the theatre. It soon became a home stage of the professional

acting group led by František Ludvík, called Ludvík Players. Due to their

extraordinary performances and popularity during their tour of the United

States, they decided to stay in Chicago. They were encouraging the local

theatrical movement for over 30 years. The area around the Eighteen

Street soon became a focal point of Pilsen.[24]

The first Czech Roman Catholic church in Pilsen was St. Procopius

church that was organized in 1876. It should be mentioned that although

at that time it was uncommon, the Czech population consisted mainly of

freethinkers and secularists (up to 70%), the Catholic group counted 25%

and there was only a small number of Czech Protestants. After they left

their homelands, it was common that due to the oppressive Austrian

regime, the Czechs changed their attitudes towards religion.

In the neighbourhood Pilsen, there was among others a park

formerly called after the Czech poet as Svatopluk Čech Park. In 1893,

after the famous composer Antonín Dvořák paid a visit to this

neighbourhood, the park was named after him and became Antonín

Dvořák Park. [25]

With the rising number of immigrants, the Czech press had to

conform to the different philosophies and religions of the people in the

former unified community. While the illiteracy rate of all immigrants was

24%, the Bohemians were considered as a highly literate group. In

comparison, the illiteracy rate was only about 2%. The Czech Americans

were known as hard-workers and they were not as poor as other

immigrants. No wonder that between 1870s and early 20th century, there

were available and affordable 4 daily Czech newspapers at once.[26] The

newspapers such as the Daily Herald, in Czech ‘Denní Hlasatel’ (for a

business and other ‘neutral circle’, first published in 1891); the National, in

11

Czech ‘Národ’ (conservative newspaper, published since 1894); the

Fairness, in Czech ‘Spravedlnost’ (for the socialistic-oriented readers, first

released in 1900) [27] and The Unity ,in Czech ‘Svornost’ (founded by the

freethinkers in 1875), could take pride in over 50,000 readers.[28] In order

to retain and foster the Czech heritage, there were Czech classes held

every Saturday for the Czech kids. They were taught the Czech language

as well as the Czech history and culture. [29]

Among Bohemians, there were a lot of butchers, carters and

peddlers of wares, carpenters, tailors and smiths. The major of the first-

generation-Czech immigrants were skilled workers. They lived on the

physical labour. They worked in textile industry, grain and lumber facilities

and furniture factories. The conditions in which they worked, were very

poor and the work itself was really demanding. The Czechs were known

for their hard work, their determination, loyalty, obstinacy and reliability.

However, sometimes they were not financially compensated enough and

their way of living was, without any question, very modest. [30] Also

women participated in supporting the modest income of their families.

They often worked in laundry and textile facilities. [31] By contrast, the

second-generation of Czechs preferred administrative or professional

work or they tended to establish their own businesses such as butchers,

bakers, shops, stores, saloons, taverns, banks or pharmacies. [32]

3.4. Neighbourhood Czech California

In the early 20th century, the main reasons of the immigration were

the economic opportunities, possibilities and the availability of the land.

Another reason was the so called ‘chain-migration’. The Czech

Americans always kept in touch with their friends and other family

members who still lived in Bohemia. Through the letters they sent them,

their relatives and acquaintances learned about the conditions in the

United States and decided to follow them and settle down in the same

areas. People who immigrated to the United States between 1908 and

12

1910 admitted that they aimed to reunite with their family members

across the ocean. It is worth mentioning that compared to other Slavic

immigrants, considerably low number of Czech Americans returned to

their homeland. At that time, from around 25,000 Czech that arrived to the

USA, only around 2,740 moved back to their home country. [33]

With continually increasing number of Czech émigrés (in 1910 the

figure of Bohemians in Chicago was estimated to more than 100, 000),

which indicates that they were considerably mobile, the Czech community

enlarged into the territory known as Lawndale-Crawford. The Czech

population in that area was substantially dominant. Therefore it became

known as The Czech California (in Czech ‘Česká Kalifornie’). Despite of

the effort of fostering their cultural heritage, the Bohemians tried to adjust

and contribute to the prosperity of their adopted homeland. The Czech

California neighbourhood was a place where the Czechs prospered in

light of the personal life as well as the career and business. The total

savings of the local banks were calculated from 12 to 15 million US

dollars.

The peaceful co-existence of the Czech community was disturbed

by the tragic event that occurred on the morning of the 24th July in 1915.

The Western Electric Hawthorne Works, large industrial facility, provided

thousands job opportunities for Czech working and middle class between

1904 and 1983. In the day of doom, the company organized a picnic for

the employees and their entire families to enjoy a nice day on the river.

The Eastland steamboat that was hired for this occasion was

unconsciously overloaded by 72 passengers and sunk to the water of the

Chicago River. From the total of 2,572 passengers, 844 of them drowned

down under the boat’s weight. More than a third of the victims were the

Czech employees or their relatives. [34]

Omitting such a horrific disaster of the Eastland steamboat, the

period from 1914 to 1938 were extremely triumphal for the Czech

13

community in Chicago. One of the crucial moments was the election of

Antonín Čermák for the 35th Mayor of Chicago in 1931, the triumphal visit

of T.G. Masaryk on the 5th May in 1918 and the very first all-American

Sokol gathering in the summer 1925.

14

4. ANTONÍN ČERMÁK

4.1. Early life

Antonín Čermák, native of Kladno, a city located around 25

kilometres in the northwest from Prague, was born on the 9th of Mai 1873.

His father worked in Kladno as a coalminer. Although he was low

educated, he was intelligent and he spent lot of time with his children. The

mother was taking care of their six children and their modest household.

The Čermák’s family was poor and because of that they decided to

immigrate to the United States in 1875. Antonín Čermák, commonly

called by the Czech Americans as Anton or by Americans Tony, was at

that time just 2 years old. After they arrived to New York, they moved to

Chicago, because there were already a lot of Bohemians and besides

that, they heard some accounts about the job opportunities in Chicago.

They could easily head for their final destination by train, because the

important railroad between New York and Chicago was already built in

1853. They first settled down in the neighbourhood Pilsen, where the

father worked as a carpenter and alternatively as a bricklayer.

After he discovered that there was a demand for coal miners, they

moved to Braidwood, circa 100 kilometres east-west from Chicago. To

support the family’s income, Antonín Čermák dropped the school and

started working in various factories in Chicago. Later on, he followed the

steps of his father as a coal miner. Before he left Braidwood, he used to

work for the mining company ‘Chicago and Wilmington Coal Company’.

Because he was involved in the strike of the coal-miners, he got fired and

shortly after that he moved back to Pilsen. Antonín Čermák was naturally

a hard-worker. When he was just 19 years old, he became an

entrepreneur and established his own firm called ‘A. J. Cermak, Teaming

Contractor’. In 1894, he married a Czech girl, named Marie Hořejšová.

Together they had 3 daughters. [35]

15

4.2. Political life

Soon Antonín became popular and respected personality among

other entrepreneurs and locals. His first steps into politics consisted of the

cooperation with his former Czech friend, Vladimír Červený. Antonín was

consistently involved in social activities. In 1899, he was appointed as a

bailiff. Because of this job, he was able to meet interesting people as well

as to participate on the interesting events and to collect useful

information.

In 1900, Antonín Čermák was offered to become a precinct captain.

In this position, he was only supporting the Democratic Party by

controlling and organizing the technical side of the primary and general

elections and he was also responsible for the system-functioning of the

social service.

His eagerness led to that, he participated on the elections to the

State Assembly in Illinois. Antonín wanted to improve the living conditions

of Chicagoans. The popularity, he gained for his diligence and sense of

honour, guaranteed him that he became a representative of the state

Illinois. The local Bohemians were very satisfied by the election. For the

very first time they had ‘their own spokesman’ in the legislative organ.

Because he was simultaneously very busy with his political issues and he

was dedicated to the business, nowadays we could refer to him as to a

workaholic. Antonín always expressed that he was proud to be American.

However, he never forgot where he came from. [36]

When Čermák was 36 years old, he worked in Springfield in the

diplomatic corps of Illinois. He knew that due to his thriving business, his

whole family was financially independent. Tony Čermák was very closely

adherent to Chicago. As a new challenge, he set himself an object to

candidate to the city hall of Chicago. Although the 12th political ward was

traditionally a domain of the Republicans, it did not represent any threat

16

for Čermák, because at that time (respectively in the year 1909), to be

elected he needed to obtain absolute majority of votes and 30,400 out of

the total 66,000 inhabitants were Czech Americans. By virtue of the

support by the Czech community, he won the elections and since 1910

his name was a symbol of the fight for the interests of the ‘people from

the street’.

The United States of America officially entered the World War I. on

the 4th of April 1917, after the president Woodrow Wilson asked the

Congress to declare the war against the German Empire. Antonín

Čermák fully agreed with this decision. His physical state and above all,

his age 44 years, forbid him to join the army. The Mayor of Chicago,

William Hale Thompsonl openly vituperated Wilson’s decision. Thereby

he earned negative responses from the press as well as from the

common public. [37]

Čermák actively participated on the convention of the Czech

national association in the USA (‘České národní sdružení v USA’), which

took place on the 13th-14th of March in 1915 in Cleveland. Here the

Chicago Czech community publicly supported the foreign revolt. At the

same place in 1916, the representatives of the Czech and Slovak

compatriotic organizations encouraged their fellow countrymen in the fight

for the establishment of the independent federative Czechoslovakian

state, guaranteeing entire national autonomy of Slovakia. Anton Čermák

became a well-respected leader-man of various Czech and Slovakian

organizations. Among others he was elected to be a chairman of the

Liberty Loan Committee in the 12th ward, which was a compatriotic

bureau organizing the financial support for the foreign revolt. These

achievements and merits were especially appreciated by Tomáš Garigue

Masaryk who visited Chicago on the 5th May 1918. [38]

In 1921, when Antonín Čermák was 48 years old, he decided to

travel to Europe to visit his place of birth. The trip lasted three months and

17

the main purpose was to tighten his good reputation in role of an initiative

politician among Czech Americans. He travelled to Czechoslovakia one

more time in the year 1924 by an invitation from the Czechoslovakian

government. During his visits, a number of Czechoslovakian politicians

harnessed from his valuable experience in the politics. He fully

propagated the reputation of Czechs and Slovaks in the USA. During his

stay in Czechoslovakia he used to send his observations to the American

press so that the Czech Americans could learn about the living in the

small country in the centre of Europe. [39]

In 1922, after he came back to Chicago, he stand as a candidate

for chairman of the Cook’s council, which was at that time the largest and

the most populated district in Chicago and the whole USA. The population

of Cook was estimated up to 4,000,000 inhabitants. Charles S. Peterson,

the representative of the opposite Republican Party, competed against

Čermák. In the political hassle played the role as well the prohibition.

Čermák was openly against the forbiddance of alcohol, however thanks to

his great skilled of a spokesman, he achieved to get on his side members

of women’s organizations which were strictly against consuming of

alcohol.

Čermák won the election regarding to his genuine popularity among

Czech community. However, without the additional support by Polish and

Irish immigrants, he would have probably lost. His election was a great

success for the Democratic Party, because Cook was until now under

control of Republicans. During his functioning in such a post, Čermák was

strong-willed to apply steps for the general welfare. He assured the

Chicagoans that he will take the control of finances and efficiency of the

district’s money and investments. He promised to lower the taxes by 10%

and to build up much needed buildings for the benefit of the public. He

also wanted to abolish the prohibition. That, however, happened some

years after, in 1933. He was considered as a very ambitious and

18

competent politician. Democracy and interests of the public were always

on his mind. No matter, that by his political rivals he was sometimes

called ‘bohunk’, which was an abusive name for illiterate and unskilled

worker from the Middle and Eastern Europe [40]. The reason was that,

that he was consistently supporting the Czech and other immigrant

communities in his district. [41]

Next to Pilsen, there was another very important neighbourhood for

the Czech community in Chicago. It was Cicero which is located in the

southwest of Chicago. Because Cicero was further away from the

Chicago’s city centre, it was a possible new place for illegal alcohol trade,

which later became a reason of increasing criminality in this area.

Between the years 1927 and 1931, the Mayor of Chicago was William

Hale Thompson, also known as ‘Big Billy’. He was known for taking bribes

and because of his affairs with Al Capone, he became very unpopular.

[42] Čermák held the opinion that the prohibition itself is the reason of the

problems. It is known that at the time when Al Capone was in charge of

the mafia-gangland, Cicero and Chicago became a centre of the crime in

the United States. Therefore Čermák was determined to fight against the

crime and Al Capone in order to circumcise Chicago from the crime. He

knew that although Al Capone owned many illegal stores with alcohol,

illegal betting shops, whorehouses and casinos, which earned him

millions of dollars, he did not pay any taxes. Čermák decided to start the

investigation against Al Capone and convict him of default and bypassing

the law. In 1928, Čermák was suggested by the Democratic Party for a

post of a senator of the state Illinois. At that time, his wife was suffering

serious disease and Antonín’s only relief was a hard work, therefore he

decided to candidate, successfully. Shortly after the elections, his wife,

Marie Čermáková, died after the long malign disease. This time was a

very painful time for Čermák. His wife was missed not only by Čermák

himself, but also by the other Czechs in Chicago. [43]

19

4.3. The first ethnic Mayor of Chicago

The year 1931 was the most important in Čermák’s career. He

stand as a candidate for a post of the Mayor of Chicago in the elections

on the 5th of March 1931. His gravest rival appeared to be John S. Clark,

who , among other things, tried to accuse Čermák from bribery. However,

at the final election round, his biggest opponent was Bill Thompson, so

called ‘Big Bill’. He was supported by the Republican Party. On the other

hand, Čermák was fully supported by the Democratic Party in Cook. [44]

Thompson, openly anti-immigrant, tried to humiliate Čermák in every

possible way. On his address he once said: “I won’t take a back seat to

that Bohunk, Chairmock, Chermack or whatever or whatever his name

is./Tony, Tony, where is your purschcart at?/ Can you picture a World’s

Fair mayor?/ With name like that?” [45] Čermák replied: “He doesn't like

my name. It’s true. I didn’t come over on the Mayflower, but I came over

as soon as I could.” [46]

During the election, Čermák kept his main political strategy firmed

and it was similar to the one he set up and achieved on the post of the

chairman of the Cook’s council. The election on 7th May 1931 ended by

the masterful win of Antonín Čermák. He obtained total of 671,189 votes.

For Thompson voted 476,922 people. Čermák won in 45 out of 50

districts (the 5 districts where the majority of people voted for Thompson

were inhabited mostly by Afro-Americans). This was a great victory for

Antonín as well as for the whole Czech community. The Bohemians from

Chicago, United States and Czechoslovakia were enormously proud of

this native from Kladno. Together with Americans and other ethnic

groups, they organized parades to express their delight. From

Czechoslovakia, Antonín received a great number of letters

congratulating him for his triumph. He received more attention than any

other previous Mayor. [47]

20

Antonín Čermák took office of the Mayor of Chicago on the 27th of

April 1931. Soon he realized that the situation is even worse than how it

appeared. Thompson left the city in debts. There were no financial

resources and the only way out of that situation was to save. That was

also what he mentioned in his inaugural speech. He promised that he will

save as much as possible to change the scene in Chicago. During his

functioning, Čermák was surrounded by capable co-workers. He did not

marginalize the Bohemians and named many of them to the high-ranking

positions, for instance, he named Otto Kerner and Rudolf Desort to the

position of judges. To the control of the public administration he named,

for instance, Czech Americans such as Kolář, Hrubý, Týč, Sokol and

Toman. According to the oncoming presidential election, Franklin

Roosevelt offered Čermák a meeting. Antonín travelled to New York in

the beginning of the autumn 1931. However, at the crucial convention of

the presidential election Čermák was not present. It is estimated that he

was too busy with organizing the congress resolutions with the major

objective - the abolishment of the prohibition. In 1933, the prohibition was

officially cancelled. That belongs to the others of Čermák’s remarkable

successes.

28th of July 1932, Antonín travelled with his family to Europe and

the purpose of this trip was, above all, a recreation and propagation of the

city Chicago and its World’s Fair. This tour led through France, Germany,

Hungary, Poland, Great Britain, Ireland and Czechoslovakia, where they

arrived on the 4th of August 1932. Čermák met with the Czechoslovakia

Prime minister, Matoušek, on the 8th August 1932 and although Matoušek

admitted that Czechoslovakia had certain financial problems, Čermák

tried to persuade him of the importance of the Czechoslovakian

participation on this event. Čermák promised he would support his natives

as much as he could. [48]

21

On his visit, Čermák also met T.G. Masaryk’s son, Jan Masaryk,

which was a delegate in Great Britain, spending his summer in

Czechoslovakia. Jan was excited about the meeting because he was

aware of how much his father respected Čermák and above all, Jan was

fully against the prohibition, plus he lived Chicago between years 1908

and 1912. [49]

The Prime minister, Matoušek, the Mayor of Prague, Karel Baxa

and other politicians prepared for Antonín majestic welcome ceremony.

To the Czechoslovakian broadcast he notified that Chicago is no more a

city of crime and bankruptcy and that it is, after Prague, the largest Czech

city in the world. On the 10th of August 1932, Čermák paid a visit to his

place of birth, Kladno. On the 11th of August, he went to Pilsen. The

largest moment of honour for Čermák occurred when T. G. Masaryk

called him and personally offered him to come to Slovakia, respectively

Bystrička, to meet him. On the 18th of August 1932, they met in the

Masaryk’s residence and discussed the situation in the USA. Masaryk ,

among other things, ensured Čermák about the participation of Slovaks

on the oncoming World’s Fair in Chicago. During Čermák’s European trip,

he visited Czechoslovakia, Berlin, Basle, Paris, London and Dublin.

After he arrived back to the United States, during the preparations

for the presidential election, which were under way, Čermák was fully

supporting Theodor Roosevelt. In the election on the 8th of November

1932, Roosevelt gained the majority of votes and the Democratic Party

since 1916 finally became the main party in the majority of the states in

the US. [50]

22

4.4. Assassination

On the 15th of February 1933, in the presence of the crowds,

Čermák was sitting in the motorcade along with the president Roosevelt,

while driving in the street in Miami outside the national convention of the

Democratic Party. During this ride, Čermák was assassinated by

Giuseppe Zangara, poor Italian-American. After the later investigation, it

was found out that Zangara suffered physical illness and the reason of

the attack was that according to the poor condition he grew up in and

lived in, he eagerly hated any presidents and governors. [51]

The real target of this anarchist was supposedly Roosevelt but

Zangara missed his target and shot Čermák instead. Before the Mayor

was brought to the hospital, he turned himself to Roosevelt and allegedly

said: "I'm glad it was me instead of you." [52] Although Čermák was

determined to survive, he died after subsequent injures in the hospital on

the 6th of March 1933. Four days later, there was a funeral on the

Bohemian National Cemetery where crowds of about 30,000 people

came to honour Antonín Čermák. For Čermák’s murder, Zangara was

sentenced to die on the same day when Čermák was buried. [53]

Nonetheless, there are still some mysteries around the

assassination. Indirect evidences suggest, that Al Capone was involved in

the assassination. Other theory says that there was another killer behind

Zangara who consciously meant to kill Čermák and who therefore took

the advantage of the chaotic situation, while Zangara tried to shoot

Roosevelt. [54]

In 1933, there was released a biographical movie based on the life-

story of Antonín Čermák. The movie is called ‘The man who dared’ and it

was directed by Hamilton MacFadden. [55]

23

5. T. G. MASARYK AND CHICAGO

In 1902, Masaryk was offered to give lectures about the Slavic

history at the University of Chicago. The invitation was sent by the

philanthropic industrialist, Charles R. Crane, who set up there the

foundation for the Slavic lectures. Crane also turned to be a friend with

Woodrow Wilson. [56]

Masaryk was well-known and respected among the founders of

Slavic studies in America. Due to his work at the new Czech university in

Prague, the journal Athenaeum which he established, several books

which he wrote about the Czech history, politics and the problems related

to these topics, the French Slavist, Louis Leger, recommended Crane to

invite Masaryk to give lectures at the local prestigious university. Another

American Slavist, Leo Wiener, visited Masaryk in Bohemia in person and

really honoured him for his charisma, intelligence and his sense for

patriotism. The sympathies to Professor Masaryk he described in detail in

the article for the Nation journal, published on the 15th of August 1901.

The subject of Masaryk’s lectures at the University of Chicago was

uncertain for several decades. When the Czech-American author, Draga

B. Shillinglaw, examined the preserved notes, it became obvious that

Masaryk primarily lectured about the Czech history. Besides that,

Masaryk systematically dealt for the first time with the Czech question in

America. The lectures were called ‘The Philosophy of the History of a

Small Nation’.

When Masaryk travelled to America for the second time, he stayed

there three months and made a political tour and visited all influential

Czech immigrant centres, respectively Chicago, New York, St. Louis,

Cleveland, Baltimore, Cedar Rapids and others. Masaryk was an

excellent spokesman and he quickly won observation and respect for his

speeches on various topics such as the Czech heritage, religion and

24

socialism. He meant to spread the awareness of the fundamental Czech

philosophy and hopes of the Czech folk. Masaryk visited America overall

fourth times. Each time he drew inspiration from the American political life

and tried to emphasize that Czech Americans played a significant and

important role of the Czech nation. [57]

On the 28th of May 1918, during the meeting with Czechs and

Slovaks in Chicago, Masaryk presented a very inspirational unprepared

speech in which he introduced his forward-looking visions and actions.

Chicago was the most important stop of his triumphal tour of the United

States. The Czech community was the most active here and he was

thankful to his friend Charles R. Crane that enabled him to lecture at the

University in Chicago. Masaryk came to the USA in May as a

revolutionary and the head of the liberation movement. He left in

November 1918. At that time, he was already elected as the first

President of the new state Czechoslovakia. [58]

6. CICERO AND BERWYN

Cicero was established by former New Yorker, Augustus Porter,

who named it after an eponymous neighbourhood in New York. The

primary total population 60,000 inhabitant composed of 80% Bohemians

or their descendants. The rest consisted of Irish, Italians or Jews émigrés.

“Immigration outward from the neighbourhoods of Chicago into the towns

of Cicero and Berwyn was a natural outgrowth of the Czechs’ westward

movement- and upward mobility-in the years before World War II.” [59]

Cicero was established in the 19th century and the influx of Bohemians

helped that it quickly became a commercial place with a flourishing

industrial manufactories and small businesses. [60] In the beginning of the

20’s, the population consisted of the 80% of the Czechs immigrants or

their ancestors from the total of about 60,000 inhabitants. At that time,

Cicero and Berwyn were the centres of the Czech community in Chicago.

[61]

25

In the 1920, there was the Sokol Slávský, grand meeting place with

various civic facilities, opened as a new grand meeting place. At that time,

it was the biggest Sokol lodge and the most significant Czech social

building. One year later, the international Sokol convention was held in

Chicago. In 1921, in effort to encourage the Czech heritage, the Masaryk

School was opened in Cicero and it functions until today. [62] As a

dedication to Antonín Čermák after his death, the 22nd Road was named

Cermak Road. [63]

Among other business and institutions opened by Bohemians in

these neighbourhoods was for instance Klas restaurant. 1 It was found in

1922 by Bohemian Jew Adolph Klas and it is now the oldest operating

Czechoslovakian restaurant in Chicago. It remains a meeting point for the

Bohemians living in America The other example of the Czech institution

that remained and is still opened is the Vesecky’s Bakery2, which was

established in the early 1930s. “As a tribute to its exceptional food and

authentic Czech hospitality, Savuer magazine’s issue from October 2007,

counts Vesecký’s as one of Chicago’s finest eating establishments.” [64]

In the 1960s, the Czech population in the neighbourhoods Pilsen

and Czech California started to decrease and in the late 1970s, they were

all almost gone. [65]. As stated before, by the 1970’s, Berwyn and Cicero

were known to be the centres of the Czech community. Since then, the

immigrants from Latin America and Asia began to expel the Bohemians

so they started to settle down in the suburb areas and towns such as

Oakbrook, Riverside or Stickney. Especially the growth of the Hispanic

community was profound. In the mid 1990’s, the portion of these

immigrants in the total population was 39%. [66] In 2010, it was already

more than 59%. The population in Berwyn and Cicero is until today

predominantly Latino. [67]

1 See appendix 13.2.4.

2 See appendix 13.2.7.

26

7. CZECH COMMUNITY IN CHICAGO TODAY

As stated in the introduction, the author of this thesis visited Chicago

for 10 days in September 2015. According to what the author found out

about the community, it was rather surprising, how the recent state of the

Chicago Czech community differs from its history. The prints of the former

influential community are hard to find. However, they are still reminded by

the Czech signs or by places such as Bohemian National Cemetery,

Havlíček Borovský’s memorial, the shopping centre ‘Cermak Plaza’, the

main street ‘Cermak Road’ and by some of the last Czech institutions and

restaurants. However, those are hard to recognize without any guidance

by a local. On the first look, it is obvious that the Latino community has

forced out the Czech community since long time ago.

The most recent result of the U.S. Census survey shows that in the

year 2000, there were 113,705 Czech Americans living in the

metropolitan area of Chicago. [68] However, according to the unofficial

source, Chicago Czech-American Community Centre (which is a non-

profit organisation and a platform, with its centre in Berwyn, offering help

and support in various areas for the Czechs living in Chicago and its

metropolitan area), there are even over 200,000 Czech Americans living

in the metropolitan area of Chicago. [69] For the purpose of this thesis,

these estimations are sufficient. It is difficult and apparently impossible to

come at the exact figures, because of the great number of young émigrés

from the Czechoslovakia who illegally immigrated to Chicago after the

Velvet revolution in 1989. The unofficial source estimates that around 10-

20,000 Czech immigrants live today in Chicago illegally.[70]

Lucie Březinová informed that after the terrorist attack in

September 2001, the requirements for gaining the U.S. permanent

residence have became more difficult. Therefore just a very small portion

of the immigrants gain the so-called ‘green Card’. Therefor it is very

27

common that recently, the majority of them moves back to their

homelands. Those who decide to stay mostly have to start from the

scratch. Every year some of the Czechs win the ‘green card’ in the Green

card lottery which is a legal way to gain the U.S. permanent residence.

However, there is also an illegal way that is common within the Czech

immigrants. In order to obtain the U.S. permanent residence, an

immigrant pays a certain amount of money to an American citizen to

contract marriage with him/her. That is called a marriage fraud. Such an

act is considered as criminal and both sides can be penalized.3

It is apparent that the Czech community in Chicago is no longer

that significant as it was few decades ago. Many people settled down

further west or moved back to their homes of origin. According to Lucie

Březinová, some of the families move back to Bohemia, because they

miss the support and help of their relatives. Those who stay prefer to live

in the suburbs, because neighbourhoods such as Cicero and Berwyn are

becoming unsafe due to the increasing Latino community. Nowadays no

particular neighbourhood can be said to be populated entirely by Czech

Americans. It is difficult to even find any public space that would be

considered as definitively Czech. Czechs now living in Chicago (and the

whole United States) are known for trying to assimilate to the American

culture, however, they still have certain connection to their homeland and

in a certain manner, they keep their ethnic identity. [71]

7.1. Czech restaurants and clubs

Czech food was generally known as substantial element of the

Chicago Czech community and it is assuredly a part of the Czech

heritage. Although there are no longer that many restaurants or taverns

owned by Bohemians as there were formerly, restaurant such as Klas or

rather newly opened restaurant, bar and café, called Café Prague are

working continually. [72] In 2005, the owner Milada Chlubnová, who lives 3 See appendix 13.1.1.

28

in Chicago for almost 16 years, opened a store with Czech goods in

Montclare. She used to sell goods such as CDs, books, as well as

candies. Soon it became an internet café and later on she turned it into a

restaurant where the traditional Czech food is served. The personnel

consist of Czech and Polish employees. The contemporary chef is

originally from Poland. [73] From the interview with Lucie Březinová,

former waitress in Café Prague, we found out that in order to improve the

reputation of the restaurant, the owner in the Café Prague invited in 2011

the popular culinary Czech series ‘Ano, šéfe!’ to be filmed there. Her

object was to improve and spread the good reputation of this restaurant

and to spread the awareness of the Chicago Czech community in the

general public.

Another Czech restaurant that is still opened is called ‘Czech Plaza’

and it is situated in Berwyn neighbourhood on the Cermak Road. It was

found in 1964 and the prior customers were the ones with ‘Czech blood’,

as the actual owner, Betty, stated. She married the son of the former

owners and therefore she is the next-generation owner. She remembers

that earlier there was a great number of Czech stores with Czech goods,

such as ‘Vltava’ and other restaurants, such as ‘Old Prague’, ‘Pilsner’,

‘Bar u Čtyř Stehen’ or ‘Little Europe’. They are no longer opened.

However, there are some other former Czech restaurants that are trying

to continue in the tradition, like ‘Golden Duck’, ‘River Side’ or ‘Crystal

Bohemian Restaurant’. Betty claimed that once there have been many

customers, nowadays there are within the customers just old locals. The

young people are not very interested in the Czech cuisine. Bety is not

very optimistic about the situation and she is concerned that the business

will no longer be efficient. The reason is that, there is no one that would

be interested in taking over that business and investing in its renovation. 4

4 See appendix 13.1.2.

29

During the visit of Czech Plaza, the author carried out an interview

with an American couple. Silvia (68) and John (72) Cornoran, both retired,

in order to find out, what is interesting about this restaurant for

Americans. Mr. and Mrs. Cornoran eat in this restaurant approximately

once or twice a month. They were recommended to come to Czech Plaza

by their friends. Mr. and Mrs. Cornoran appreciate the friendly staff, nice

atmosphere as well as large servings for adequate prices. They both said

in the interview that they regret not trying any other local restaurant earlier

and that they are both concerned with the growing Latino community in

the neighbourhood. They said that the ‘good times’, when the

neighbourhood was populated by Czech Americans are already far

gone.5

The Euro Club, on the Irving Park Road, which was re-named and

now is dedicated to Latin nights, was formerly known as a popular

discotheque where the young part of the Czech community used to enjoy

the authentic nightclub experience. For these purposes serves now the

club named ‘Bistro by the Pier’ where there are being played songs by

Czech artists every Friday and Saturday and where the majority of the

clients is originally either from Czech or Slovakia.

7.2. Czech radio and television

The Czech-American radio and television broadcasts play an

important role in the everyday-lives of the descendants of the first Czech

Americans. The WCEV 1450 AMV Radio, with its central office in Cicero,

has been broadcasting since 1970. The letters in the name stand for ‘We

are Chicagoan’s ethnic voice’. It daily offers various programs in English,

Czech, Slovak, Polish, Arabic, Irish or Spanish assigned to the ethnic

communities in the metropolitan area of Chicago. For the Czechoslovak

audience, there is a weekly slot every Sunday from 9-10 in the morning

broadcasted by the Czech Radio in Chicago. [74] According to Vladimír 5 See appendix 13.1.3.

30

Jirák, broadcaster who works for the Czech Radio in Chicago for almost

23 years, the program consists above all of the Czech music. However, it

consists also of the current news related to the Czech community,

interviews with interesting personalities and some programs are provided

by ‘Český rozhlas 7- Radio Praha’. In 1990, when he started his career,

there were slots intended to Czechs four times a week, but for the lack of

sponsors, the evening-broadcasts were disestablished. He claims that not

all Czech descendants can speak English, however, also those who

cannot speak perfectly Czech are interested in their ancestor’s culture.

The broadcast can be heard on the internet website of the WCEV 1450

AMV Radio. [75]

Other mediator for the dispersed Czech community is a non-profit

telecast by the Czech American TV in Chicago. The Czech American TV

was found by John Honner. As they claim the platform was established to

in order to support the Czech cultural heritage by providing educational

programs shared through the television and the internet. “Czech-

American TV with over 10 years of regular broadcasting, is the first and

only program of its kind in the United States targeting not only Czech-

American community, but also anyone interested in the history, traditions,

fashion, cuisine, music, natural and architectural beauties, trade and

products of the Central European Region. ”[76] All the programs are

broadcasted only in English.[ 77] Every Sunday, there is a show provided

by the Czech-American TV in Chicago on Channel 41.[78]

In 2012, there was the first Czech Film Festival organized in the

United States in order to spread the awareness of the Czech

cinematography. In 2015, the name of the festival was changed to ‘Czech

that Film’ and was presented by Staropramen. The festival is a tour

through eleven American cities with significant Czech communities,

including Chicago. [79]

31

In 2005, Czech native Lenka Dolanová started filming a

documentary movie called ‘It’s fun to be Bohemian’. The movie was

released in 2007 and deals especially with the history and the recent

state of the neighbourhood Pilsen. [80]

7.3. Celebrations and events

To show that the achievements and the role of the Czech

community in Chicago are profound, there are many events still held

every year to honour the Czech heritage.

In 1990, there was officially concluded the partnership between

Prague and Chicago. In June 2015, the city Chicago as the remembrance

of this 25th anniversary organizes the Prague Days in Chicago 2015, ‘Dny

Prahy v Chicagu 2015’. [81] Bořek Lizec, the General Consul of the

Czech Republic in Chicago, said that this event should improve the

cooperation and positive relationship between the two sister-cities Prague

and Chicago.6 It should also promote Prague as an attractive touristic

destination and the Czech Republic as a dynamic European democracy

with strong connection to Chicago and the USA. The Mayor of Prague,

Pavel Bém, should participate on this anniversary. Bém is expected to

join the gala evening called ‘Gala Golden Prague’ and to meet with the

former Mayor of Chicago, Richard Daleye, on the Čermák’s

commemoration the next day. [82]

Not only the Czech Republic celebrated in November 2014 the 25th

anniversary of the Velvet Revolution, fall of the communist regime in

November 1989, but also in Chicago people celebrated this jubilee. The

major celebration took place on the 20th of November 2014 and on this

occasion, the official delegation from the Czech Republic visited Chicago.

On this event was present also Anton Cermak Kerner, the grandson of

Mayor Antonín Čermák.[83] “To me, the anniversary Velvet Revolution is

6 See the appendix 13.3.

32

also the anniversary of the reunion of Chicago Czechs and Czechs in our

homeland.” Bořek Lizec, Consul General of the Czech Republic in

Chicago.” [84]

Another celebration that is organized every year is called the Houby

Festival. It was named after a Czech word for mushrooms and it should

symbolize the Czech harvest. The parade with variety of events goes

along the Cermak Road. Last year more than 25,000 people visited this

event. This year, the Festival will celebrate its 47th anniversary. [85]

Czech celebrities are aware of the Czech communities in the

United States and therefore they organize tours through the US. On the

28th of September 2015, Petr Janda with his band performed songs from

50 years of Olympic and his solo CDs in the restaurant Klas. The

information about this event was found during the author’s visit of Czech

Plaza restaurant.7

In 2014, the Sokol Spirit organized the Czech Film Series. Every 1st

Friday of the month people could come to see an iconic Czech movie,

such as ‘S tebou mě baví svět’, ‘Želary’, ‘Tři oříšky pro popelku’ or operas

such as ‘Rusalka’ or ‘Prodaná nevěsta’ with English subtitles. The movie

was followed by a discussion led by Pavlina Drobka, the Czech language

head teacher.8

7.4. Institutions

One of the most influential organizations launched by Czechs in

Chicago is undoubtedly the Sokol. The Sokol (now with the core quarter

in Brookfield) is thanks to its leaders like Jean Hruby still active. Its lodges

such as Sokol Tabor (in Berwyn), Sokol USA Gymnastics Chicago (near

the North Center) offer regular classes. Its members participate every

7 See appendix 13.2.6.

8 See appendix13.2.10.

33

year in annual Sokol Day and National gathering (called in Czech

‘Sokolský slet’) [86]

United Moravian Societies is a non-profit institution which preserves

Moravian, Czech and Slovak culture. By effort of this institution there is

the Moravian Day festival held every year. The very first Moravian Day

Festival was organized in 1939 in Pilsen neighbourhood. In 2014, the

festival celebrated its 75th anniversary9. The usual parts of this festival are

the traditional folklore dancing, singing exhibitions and tasting of the

traditional food, pastry and wines from Moravia. Among other things there

are held Czech Language and Cultural Class for beginner organized by

the United Moravian Societies every Sunday afternoon. The classes are

taught by Anna Cooková who was awarded a grant by the Czech

Government for lecturers that teach the Czech Language in expatriate

associations. Every Wednesday there are accessible folklore dance

classes for children and adults in the UMS. [87]

In 2004, the CSA Fraternal Life or formerly the Czechoslovak

Society of America, celebrated 150 years from its inception. [88] This

organization was established on the principles of cooperation, fraternity

and support of equal opportunities. The purpose was to financially help

those in need within the Czechoslovak community. Today the CSA

Fraternal Life has 64 lodges in 21 states, including Chicago and offers

mainly insurance and similar products. [89]

The Roman-Catholic organization Czech Mission (in Czech ‘Česká

Misie’) supports religious and cultural heritage of Czechs and Slovaks

that live in Chicago and its surroundings. Under the auspices of this

organization, there are held various events, such as picnics, excursions,

Czech weddings, Czech baptisms and other social-cultural events. Every

Saturday, in the church in Brookfield, there is a Czech children class

9 See appendix 13.2.5.

34

offered for those who want to learn about catholic, Czech homeland study

and Czech language.[90]

Other very important institution related to the Chicago Czech

community is the Bohemian National Cemetery. The cemetery was

opened in 1877. The majority of persons buried here are ancestors of the

first Czechs who immigrated to Chicago, including Antonín Čermák. In the

area of the cemetery, there can be seen many sculptures and the

cemetery also serves as the city’s largest collection of funerary art. [91] A

separate thus connected to the Bohemian National Cemetery is a non-

profit organization named Friends of Bohemian National Cemetery. Its

members meet regularly in order to preserve and enhance the artistry and

the spiritual role of the cemetery. For instance on the 4th of October they

organized ‘Tours of the Tombstones’.10They also issue newsletter called

Heritage Happenings. [92]

The general overview of the institution across the United States

provides on the internet website of the Consulate General of the Czech

Republic in Chicago. [93]

10

See appendix 13.3.11

35

8. CONCLUSION

The key objective of this thesis was to provide a detailed depiction

of the Chicago Czech community, its history and the recent state. To

introduce the topic, the author provided basic information about the city

Chicago, its history, location and population.

The author divided the thesis into two main parts. In the first part,

which deals with the history of the community, the author provided a vast

summary of the history since the 1850s. The author deals with the

reasons of the immigration as well as the occupation of the first

Bohemians, who decided to left their homelands in order to find a better

place for living. There author also described the beginnings of the various

organizations established by Bohemians, such as Sokol. A large focus

was given to the most ethnically conscious and active neighbourhood,

Praha, Pilsen and Czech California. The author mentioned the tragic

incidents such as the Great Fire in 1871 and the sinking of the Eastland

steamboat in 1915.

The great attention was given to the most important person

connected with the Czech community Chicago, Antonín Čermák. He has

helped not only to enhance the Czech community, but also the whole

Chicago. Thanks to his determination and hard work he became the first

ethnic Mayor of Chicago. His early life, political career and his death are

described in the separate chapter.

In the next chapter the author described the time when T. G.

Masaryk was lecturing at the University of Chicago. The period, when

Masaryk visited Chicago as a revolutionary and left as the first President

of Czechoslovakia, is indisputable very interesting and important to be

mentioned. Therefore the author gave T. G. Masaryk significant attention

in this thesis. It helped the reader to understand the importance of the

community in the process of establishing Czechoslovakia.

36

In the second main part of the thesis, the author provided the

description of the recent situation of the Chicago Czech community

according to the interviews that were carried out. The recent state of the

community was rather different than the expectation of the author.

In the appendices, the reader can find interesting material that will

support the author’s arguments. In order to provide an authentic

depiction, the author enclosed photos, which were taken during the

author’s visit in Chicago in September 2015.

The thesis could be useful for many people who are interested in

the history of immigration in the USA. According to the author’s opinion,

especially the readers, whose study is related to the international

relations or intercultural relations will find this thesis very interesting. This

thesis could be helpful also for students of American Studies.

37

9. ENDNOTES

[1] STERNSTEIN, M. M. Czechs of Chicagoland. Page 9

[2] BROŽ, I. Čermák versus Al Capone. Page 8

[3] State and country QuickFacts: Chicago(city), Illinois. [online]

[4] BROŽ, I.,op. cit., Page 8-9

[5] World Population Review: Chicago Population 2014 [online]

[6] State and country QuickFacts, op. cit. [online]

[7] Illinois Corporation for immigrant and Refugee Rights [online]

[8] Ibid.

[9] Ameridia: Czech American Demographics. [online]

[10] STERNSTEIN, M., op. cit, page 11

[11] BARKAN,E., Immigrants in American history. Page 120

[12] STERNSTEIN, M., op. cit. page 11

[13] Ibid. Pages 11 – 16

[14] Ibid. Page 11 -24

[15] CUTLER, I., Chicago, metropolis of the mid-continent. Page 96

[16] STERNSTEIN, M., op. cit, Pages 11 – 24

[17] CUTLER, I., op. cit. page 962

[18] STERNSTEIN, M., op. cit, Page 11 - 24

[19] BROŽ, I., op. cit. page 9

38

[20] CUTLER, I., op. cit. pages 96 – 97

[21] STERNSTEIN, M., op. cit. page 23

[22] Ibid.

[23] CUTLER, I., op. cit. pages (96 – 97)

[24] STERNSTEIN, M., op. cit. page 54

[25] Ibid., pages 32 – 37

[26] CUTLER, I.,op. cit. pages 97 – 98

[27] BROŽ, I., op. cit. page 32

[28] STERNSTEIN, M., op. cit. pages 42-46

[29] CUTLER, I., op. cit. pages 97 – 98

[30] Ibid.

[31] STERNSTEIN, M., op. cit. page 46

[32] CUTLER, I., op. cit. pages 97-98

[33] BARKAN, E., op. cit. page 125

[34] STERNSTEIN, M., op. cit. pages 65 – 75

[35] BROŽ, I., op. cit. pages 11 – 16

[36] Ibid.

[37] Ibid. pages 46 – 50

[38] STERNSTEIN, M., op. cit. page 76

[39] BROŽ, I., op. cit. pages 67-68

39

[40] Ibid., page 85

[41] Ibid., pages 76-87

[42] MCCLELLAND, E., The Most Corrupt Public Official In Illinois History

[online]

[43] BROŽ, I., op. cit. pages 134-135

[44] Ibid., pages 163-168

[45] STERNSTEIN, M., op. cit. page 86

[46] MCCLELLAND, E., op.cit.[online] page 1

[47] BROŽ, I., op. cit. pages 187-196

[48] Ibid. page 236

[49] Ibid. pages 251-263

[50] Ibid.

[51] Ibid.

[52] BENZKOFER, 'Tell Chicago I'll pull through', page 2 [online]

[53] Ibid.

[54] BROŽ, I., op. cit. pages 251-263

[55] Movie Review: Anton Cermak's Life. [online]

[56] KOVTUN, J., Masaryk & America, Page 8

[57] Ibid. pages 2-9

[58] Ibid.

[59] STERNSTEIN, M., op. cit. page 95

40

[60] Ibid.

[61] BROŽ, I., op. cit. page 86

[62] STERNSTEIN, M., op. cit. pages 96-125

[63] BROŽ, I., op. cit. page 86

[64] STERNSTEIN, M., op. cit. page 112

[65] KOVTUN, J., op. cit. page 86

[66] STERNSTEIN, M., op. cit. page 119

[67] SCHWEINBERG, B., Berwyn’s population, household size on the

rise. [online]

[68] Ameridia, op. cit. [online]

[69] Chicagoland Czech-American community center [online]

[70] PÍCHA, A., KOPP. M., Dny Prahy v Chicagu. [online]

[71] STERNSTEIN, M., op. cit. page 119

[72] Ibid.

[73] URBIŠOVÁ, J., Město starosty Čermáka. [online]

[74] WCEV Radio 1450 Cicero [online]

[75] Krajane.net [online]

[76] Czech American TV [online]

[77] STERNSTEIN, M., op. cit 119

[78] Ibid.

[79] Czech That Film [online]

41

[80] Pragueout.cz:[online]

[81] Generální konzulát České Republiky v Chicagu [online]

[82] Tyden.cz: Bém pojede do Chicaga na Dny Prahy. [online]

[83] Consulate General of the Czech Republic in Chicago [online]

[84] Ibid. page 1

[85] HANANIA, R., Cicero celebrates 46th Annual Houby Day with

Festival and Parade [online]

[86] Sokol USA Gymnastics [online]

[87] UMS: United Moravian Societies [online]

[88] STERNSTEIN, M., op. cit. pages 119-126

[89] CSA: Fraternal Life. [online]

[90] Česká Misie v Chicagu [online]

[91] Bohemian National Cemetery. [online]

[92] Friends of Bohemian National Cemetery. [online]

[93] Consulate Genral of the Czech Republic in Chicago, op. cit. [online]

42

10. ABSTRACT

The thesis deals with the topic Chicago Czech community, its

history and the recent state. It gives a vast summary of the Czech

community in Chicago, starting from the beginnings of the Czech

immigration in the early 1850s. The thesis is divided into two main parts.

The first part deals with the history while the second gives an overview of

the recent state. A large part of the thesis is devoted to the first ethnic

Mayor of Chicago, Antonín Čermák, who was Czech American and who

is undoubtedly the most important personality in the history of the

Chicago Czech community. Another very important personality which is

connected to the Czech community in Chicago is T.G.Masaryk, to whom

is also devoted a significant part of this thesis. In the second part, there is

described the nowadays situation of the Czech community in Chicago,

according to the interviews made by the author of thesis. The main

objective of the thesis is to show that the Czech community was strongly

connected with the process of creating an independent new state

Czechoslovakia, as well as the later forming two separate states, the

Czech Republic and Slovakia. Another purpose was to provide the

depiction of the contemporary decadent community.

43

11. RESUMÉ

Tato práce se zabývá tématem České komunity v Chicagu, její

historií a současným stavem. Práce přináší rozsáhlý přehled o České

komunitě v Chicagu, počínaje začátky emigrace od 50. let 19. století.

Práce je rozdělena na dvě hlavní části. První část pojednává o historii,

zatímco druhá část o současném stavu české komunity v Chicagu.

Důležitá část je věnována prvnímu etnickému primátorovi města Chicaga,

jímž byl Čechoameričan Antonín Čermák a kdo je také nepochybně

nejvýznamnější osobností historie České komunity v Chicagu. Další

důležitou osobností, která je spojena s Českou Chicagskou komunitou, je

T. G. Masaryk, jemuž je také věnována podstatná část této práce.

V druhé části této práce je popsána současná situace komunity, podle

rozhovorů, které autor této práce provedl. Hlavním cílem této práce je

ukázat, že Česká komunita v Chicagu byla nedílnou součástí procesu

vznikání samostatného Československa, stejně tak součástí formování

pozdějších dvou samostatných států, České Republiky a Slovenska.

Dalším záměrem autora bylo poskytnout čtenáři obraz dnes již upadající

české komunity.

44

12. REFERENCES:

LIST OF PRINTED SOURCES:

Czech printed sources:

Anglicko-český, česko-anglický šikovný slovník. 2. vyd. V Brně: Lingea,

2013, 749 s. --nejen do školy. ISBN 978-80-87819-13-5.

BROŽ, Ivan. Čermák versus Al Capone. Vyd. 1. Praha: Knižní klub, 1998,

275 s., [30] s. il. na příl. ISBN 80-7176-825-1.

English printed sources:

BARKAN, Elliott Robert. Immigrants in American history: arrival,

adaptation, and integration. Santa Barbara, Calif.: ABC-CLIO, c2013, 4 v.

(xvi, 1931, I-58 p.). ISBN 9781598842203.

CUTLER, Irving. Chicago, metropolis of the mid-continent. 4th ed.

Carbondale: Southern Illinois University Press, 2006, xiv, 447 p. ISBN

9780809327027.

KOVTUN, Jiří. Masaryk & America: testimony of a relationship.

Washington: Library of Congress, 1988, xiii, 82 s. ISBN 0-8444-0585-x.

STERNSTEIN, Malynne M. Czechs of Chicagoland. Charleston, SC:

Arcadia Pub., c2008, 127 p. ISBN 0738551783.

LIST OF INTERNET SOURCES:

Czech internet sources:

Consulate Genral of the Czech Republic in Chicago: Czechoslovak -

American Organizations. In: [online]. [cit. 2015-04-06]. Available at:

http://www.mzv.cz/chicago/en/culture_events/cz_us_community/czechosl

ovak_american_organizations

Česká Misie v Chicagu. In: [online]. [cit. 2015-04-06]. Available at:

http://home.comcast.net/~velehradchicago/

45

Generální konzulát České Republiky v Chicagu: Rada města Chicaga

přijala rezoluci ke 25. výročí svého partnerství s Prahou [online].

29.01.2015 [cit. 2015-04-06]. Available at:

http://www.mzv.cz/chicago/cz/kultura_co_nas_ceka/rada_mesta_chicaga

_prijala_rezoluci_ke.html

Krajane.net: Jerry Jirák: chci na rádiových vlnách v Chicagu udržet

českou hudbu. In: [online]. 17.04.2008 [cit. 2015-04-06]. Available at:

http://krajane.net/articleDetail.view?id=1287

PÍCHA, Alexandr a Milan KOPP. Dny Prahy v Chicagu. [online].

05.06.2007 [cit. 2015-04-06]. Available at:

http://www.rozhlas.cz/zpravy/zahranici/_zprava/dny-prahy-v-chicagu--

352082

Pragueout.cz: It´s fun to be Bohemian. In: [online]. 11.06.2007 [cit. 2015-

04-06]. Available at: http://www.pragueout.cz/articles/its-fun-to-be-

bohemian

Rada města Chicaga přijala rezoluci ke 25. výročí svého partnerství s

Prahou. [online]. s. 1, 29.01.2015 [cit. 2015-04-06]. Available at:

http://www.mzv.cz/chicago/cz/kultura_co_nas_ceka/rada_mesta_chicaga

_prijala_rezoluci_ke.html

Tyden.cz: Bém pojede do Chicaga na Dny Prahy. In: [online]. 29.05.2015

[cit. 2015-04-06]. Available at:

http://m.tyden.cz/rubriky/kultura/umeni/bem-pojede-do-chicaga-na-dny-

prahy_12310.html

URBIŠOVÁ, Julie. Město starosty Čermáka. [online]. s. 1, 20.09.2012 [cit.

2015-04-06]. Available at: http://www.lideazeme.cz/clanek/mesto-

starosty-cermaka

46

English internet sources:

Ameridia: Czech American Demographics. [online]. [cit. 2015-04-06].

Available at:

http://www.ameredia.com/resources/demographics/czech.html

BENZKOFER. 'Tell Chicago I'll pull through': In 1933, a bullet meant for

FDR hit Chicago Mayor Anton Cermak instead. [online]. s. 2, 10.02.2013

[cit. 2015-04-06]. Available at: http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2013-02-

10/news/ct-per-flash-cermak-shot-0210-20130210_1_band-shell-chicago-

mayor-anton-cermak-bullet

Bohemian National Cemetery. In: [online]. [cit. 2015-04-06]. Available at:

http://graveyards.com/IL/Cook/bohemian/

Chicagoland Czech-American community center: History. [online]. [cit.

2015-04-06]. Available at:

http://chicagocacc.org/index.php?lang=en&Itemid=164

City of Chicago: The City of Chicago's Official Site. Facts and Statistics

[online]. [cit. 2015-04-06]. Available at:

http://www.cityofchicago.org/city/en/about/facts.html

Crain's Chicago Business: Chicago-area population barely grows. In:

[online]. 27.03.2014 [cit. 2015-04-06]. Available at:

http://www.chicagobusiness.com/article/20140327/BLOGS02/140329808/

chicago-area-population-barely-grows

CSA: Fraternal Life. In: [online]. [cit. 2015-04-06]. Available at:

http://csalife.com/Default.asp?loc=fbs

Czech American TV: CATV.com [online]. [cit. 2015-04-06]. Available at:

http://catvusa.com/about-us/

Czech That Film: Festival History [online]. [cit. 2015-04-06]. Available at:

http://www.czechthatfilm.com/history.html

47

Friends of Bohemian National Cemetery. In: [online]. [cit. 2015-04-06].

Available at: http://www.friendsofbnc.org/about.htm

HANANIA, Ray. Cicero celebrates 46th Annual Houby Day with Festival

and Parade. In: [online]. 1.10.2014 [cit. 2015-04-06]. Available at:

http://www.illinoisnewsnetwork.com/2014/10/01/cicero-celebrates-46th-

annual-houby-day-festival-parade/

Illinois Corporation for immigrant and Refugee Rights: US and Illinois

Immigrants by the Numbers. 5 s [online].[cit.2015-04-06]. Available at:

http://icirr.org/content/us-and-illinois-immigrants-numbers

Junior Worldmark Encyclopedia of World Cities | 2000 | COPYRIGHT

2000 The Gale Group, Inc. In: [online]. [cit. 2015-04-06]. Available at:

http://www.encyclopedia.com/topic/Chicago.aspx

MCCLELLAND, Edward. The Most Corrupt Public Official In Illinois

History: William Hale Thompson. [online]. s. 1, 25.01.2012 [cit. 2015-04-

06]. Available at: http://www.nbcchicago.com/blogs/ward-room/The-Most-

Corrupt-Public-Official-In-Illinois-History-William-Hale-Thompson-

138057708.html

Movie Review: Anton Cermak's Life. [online]. s. 1, September 1933 [cit.

2015-04-10]. Available at::

http://www.nytimes.com/movie/review?res=9F0CE1D91539E033A2575A

C0A96F9C946294D6CF&pagewanted=print

SCHWEINBERG, Brett. Berwyn’s population, household size on the rise.

[online]. s. 1 [cit. 2015-04-06]. Available at:

http://www.mysuburbanlife.com/2011/02/28/berwyns-population-

household-size-on-the-rise/znjup7m/

Sokol Tabor. In: [online]. [cit. 2015-04-06]. Available at: Sokol Tabor.

[online]. [cit. 2015-04-18]. Dostupné z: http://www.sokoltabor.org/aboutus/

48

Sokol USA Gymnastics. In: [online]. [cit. 2015-04-06]. Available at:

http://merkerk.wix.com/sokolusagymnastics

State and country QuickFacts: Chicago(city), Illinois. In: [online]. [cit.

2015-04-06]. Available at:

http://quickfacts.census.gov/qfd/states/17/1714000.html

UMS: United Moravian Societies. In: [online]. [cit. 2015-04-06]. Available

at: http://unitedmoraviansocieties.org/

WCEV Radio 1450 Cicero: ‘We are Chicagoan’s ethnic voice’. [online].

[cit. 2015-04-06]. Available at: http://www.wcev1450.com/schedule.htm

World Population Review: Chicago Population 2014 [online]. 19.10.2014

[cit. 2015-04-06]. Available at: http://worldpopulationreview.com/us-

cities/chicago-population/

49

13. APPENDICCES

13.1. Interviews

13.1.1 Lucie Březinová

13.1.2. Bety

13.1.3. Ms. and Mr. Cornoran

13.2. Photos

13.2.1. Cermak Plaza

13.2.2. Cermak Road

13.2.3. Czech Plaza

13.2.4. Klas

13.2.5. Moravian Days

13.2.6. Petr Janda’s US solo tour

13.2.7. Vesecky’s Bakery

13.2.8. Czech Mission

13.2.9. Café Prague

13.2.10. Czech Film Series

13.2.11. Tours of the Tombstones

13.3. Prague 25th anniversary City Council resolution

50

13.1. INTERVIEWS

13.1.1. Interview on the 14th of September, Chicago (IL), with:

Name: Lucie Březinová

Age: 36

Origin: Czech Republic

Occupation: on maternity leave; former waitress in Czech Plaza, Café

Prague and a nanny

The author: “How long do you live in Chicago and why did you

immigrate?”

Lucie B.: “I left the Czech Republic when I was .22 years old. It was in

2001. I followed my boyfriend, because he he wanted to earn money and

then come back. I wanted actually just to improve my English. I didn’t plan

to stay there. So I’ve been here already for .14 years. My friend later

came back to the Czech Republic and I stayed here. It was not easy, of

course. But I had at that time already many friends, other Czechs and

Slovaks. I spent more time with the Czechs than with Americans,

because I felt more comfortable in their company. Many times I thought

about coming back to the Czech Republic. However, I felt like I have my

life here already. “

The author: “What did you do for living during your first years in Chicago

and was it hard to find a job if you could not speak very good English?

Lucie B.:” It wasn’t that hard, how it could seem. As I said, I knew lot of

Czech people, some of them owned stores, restaurants, bars, so I worked

as a waitress in the beginning. I worked in Czech restaurants, such as

Café Prague, Little Europe and Crystal. Therefore it wasn’t a big problem,

that I couldn’t speak very good English. Later on, some of my friends

offered me to take care of their kids while they are in work, so I started

working as a nanny. They told me that it was hard, when they had kids

and had to work, and they didn’t have their parents to take care of their

kids. Some of my friends who have kids came back to the Czech

Republic, because there they have parents to help them. “

The author: “Did you apply for the citizenship in the USA?”

Lucie B.: “Well, I have had just the visa for tourists, when I arrived. After it

expired I knew that if I would come back to the Czech Republic, I would

not be able to come back. So I decided to stay and since then I tried to

51

apply, however after the terrorist attacks in 2001 it is more difficult to get

the citizenship. I know some people, who won the Green Card in the so

called Green Card Lottery, I wasn’t however lucky yet. It is also common

that girls try to find an American man and they offer him money to marry

them. We call this ‘fake weddings’. But it is of course illegal and very risky

to do, you have to prove that you live together. I would be scare to do

this. So although I still don’t have the Green Card, I hope that the

government will change the policy and I will gain the citizenship in the

future.

The author: “How would you compare the situation of the Chicago Czech

community earlier and now?

Lucie B.: “When I moved here in the 2001, as I said there were many

Czech restaurants, pubs, stores. Most of them were in Cicero and

Berwyn. You could hear Czech language in every corner. And there were

almost no Latinos. Now the Czechs move to the suburbs, because it is

safer and more convenient. Instead of the Czech stores, there are now

Mexican fast-foods. And at night it is not very safe here. Unfortunately

those two former Czech neighbourhoods are today definitely Latino. I live

near the downtown, however, I am thinking about moving to the suburbs.

The author: “Are you a member of any Czech institution or organization?”

Lucie B.: “I am not. I only know there are Czech school and Sokol. I still

watch Czech TV, however only on the internet. There is a Czech TV

which you can pay and watch Czech programs. However thanks to the

internet, everything is a lot easier now. I keep in touch with my family, we

communicate through Skype. Everybody was so excited when they saw

me in the Czech television, because there were the Czech series ‘Ano,

šéfe!’ filmed in the Café Prague. The owner wanted to spread the

awareness of the restaurant and the Czech community. Instead of being

a member of those organisations, we are active with my friends. We go to

the Czech bar ‘Bistro by The Pier’. They play Czech songs, and we like

that. Also the staff is still Czech, Slovak or Polish. So you don’t have to

speak English at all, if you want to order (laughter).

The author: “Thank you very much.”

Lucie B.: “Not a problem.”

52

13.1.2. Interview on the 17th of September, Chicago (IL), Berwyn;

in Czech Plaza, with:

Name: Bety (from personal reason of the interviewed the last name is not

specified)

Age: 37

Origin: Czech Republic

Occupation: the contemporary owner of the Czech Plaza; she married

the son of the former owners, Czech Plaza was established in 1964

The author: “How would you describe the recent situation of the Chicago

Czech community comparing with its earlier state?”

Bety: “When I came to Chicago, there were lots and lots Czech around

here. I remember, there were many Czech stores, restaurants and pubs

here. People were waiting in the queues in the stores. Also our restaurant

had many customers, with ‘Czech blood’. During the weekends, the boys

(workers author’s commentary) came here to have few beers during the breaks.

Not anymore, unfortunately. They either moved out or died. Now as

customers, we have just a few pilgrims.

The author: “What were the names of the other restaurants or business

that used to be here?”

Bety: “What I can remember from top of my head. In this neighbourhood

there used to be restaurants like Old Prague, opened since 1992, then

Pilsner and Bar u Čtyř Stehen. In Berwyn there are today just us and

Klas. In other neighbourhood there were and those are probably still

opened, Little Europe, Moldau, Golden Duck or River Side opened.

However either the owner changed and so they don’t do traditional food,

or they just changed names. Oh, and also Kristal, which is still opened

and still Czech. It has better location though.

The author: “Is there anything that could be done to preserve the

traditional Czech restaurants, such as yours?”

Bety: “We don’t really know, how long we will be able to keep our

business. There is nobody, who would be willing to take over or to invest

the money to renovation. We are doing our best to keep it. Hopefully we

will be able to do so for some more years.”

The author: “Thank you very much.” Bety: “You are welcome.”

53

13.1.3. Interview on the 17th of September, Chicago (IL), Berwyn;

in Czech Plaza, with:

Name: Mr. and Ms. Corcoran

Age: John Corcoran (72), Silvia Corcoran (68)

Occupation: both retired

Origin: USA, Irish ancestors

The author: “How often do you go to Czech Plaza?”

Silvia: “I would say like once or twice a month.”

The author: “How did you find out about this restaurant?”

Silvia: “Our friends told us that they have the best roasted duck here.

They recommended it to us. So we came here to try it. And we were

nicely surprised. It was really good, not only the duck. We regret not

trying any other Czech restaurant earlier. Now, when there is no other

restaurant in this neighbourhood, it’s late.”

John: “Oh yes, those good times, when this was full of Czechs are

unfortunately far gone.”

The author: “What do you like most about this restaurant?”

John: “Oh yes, we love it. I know that the Czech cuisine is a part of Czech

heritage. No wonder. I like the ‘Rolled cabbage ribs’ (žebírka s hlávkovým

zelím author’s translation) the most. And like a dessert, we like the strudl (štrůdl author’s commentary).”

Silvia: “I love the Prague-styled cutlet (kotleta po pražsku author’s translation).”

The author: “What would you briefly say about this restaurant?”

Silvia: “We really like it here. It’s clean and the food is delicious. Prices

are fine. And the portions are oh my…so big. Sometimes, if we can’t

finish it, we even take the food home. “

John: “Yes, that’s true. And the people here are always very friendly and

grateful.”

The author: “Thank you for your time.” Silva and John: “You are very

welcome.”

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13.2. PHOTOS (Taken by the author of this thesis)

13.2.1.

13.2.2

.

55

13.2.3.

13.2.4.

56

13.2.5.

13.2.6.

57

13.2.7.

13.2.8.

58

13.2.9.

59

13.2.10.

60

13.2.11.

61

13.3. PRAGUE 25TH ANNIVERSARY CITY COUNCIL RESOLUTION